Lavender plant named ‘Belwhi’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Lavender plant named ‘Belwhi’, characterized by its upright, somewhat outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit; freely branching habit, dense and bushy plant form; vigorous growth habit; and white-colored flowers with white-colored terminal flower bracts.

Botanical designation: Lavandula stoechas.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Belwhi’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lavender plant, botanically known as Lavandula stoechas, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Belwhi’.

The new Lavender is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Kulnura, New South Wales, Australia. The objective of the breeding program was to create new compact and freely branching Lavender cultivars with large and attractive flowers and good garden performance.

The new Lavender originated from an open-pollination in 1999 of a proprietary selection of Lavandula stoechas identified as code number 97-04, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Lavandula stoechas, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Lavender was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated open-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Kulnura, New South Wales, Australia in September, 2000.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings at Kulnura, New South Wales, Australia, since 2000, has shown that the unique features of this new Lavender are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar LSB04 have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Belwhi’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Belwhi’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright, somewhat outwardly spreading and mounded plant         habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit, dense and bushy plant form.     -   3. Vigorous growth habit.     -   4. White-colored flowers with white-colored terminal flower         bracts.

Plants of the new Lavender differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Lavender and the female parent selection         differ in flower coloration.     -   2. Plants of the new Lavender and the female parent selection         differ in flower bract coloration.

Plants of the new Lavender can be compared to plants of the Lavender cultivar Madrid White, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Kulnura, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Lavender differed from plants of the cultivar Madrid White in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Lavender were taller and more uniform in         growth habit than plants of the cultivar Madrid White.     -   2. Plants of the new Lavender had longer leaves than plants of         the cultivar Madrid White.     -   3. Plants of the new Lavender had larger terminal flower bracts         than plants of the cultivar Madrid White.     -   4. Plants of the new Lavender and the cultivar Madrid White         differed in terminal flower bract coloration as plants of the         cultivar Madrid White had light lavender-colored terminal flower         bracts.     -   5. Plants of the new Lavender had longer peduncles than plants         of the cultivar Madrid White.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the actual colors of the new Lavender.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Belwhi’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Belwhi’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1999 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants used for the aforementioned photographs and following description were grown under conditions which closely approximate commercial production conditions during the spring in a glass-covered greenhouse in Kulnura, New South Wales, Australia for about four to six months in 15-cm containers.

-   Botanical classification: Lavandula stoechas cultivar Belwhi. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Lavandula             stoechas identified as code number 97-04, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown selection of Lavandula             stoechas, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About 10 to 14 days at 18° C. to 21°             C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Form.—Perennial plant; upright, somewhat outwardly spreading             and mounded plant form. Freely branching habit with lateral             branches potentially at every node; dense and bushy plant             habit; vigorous growth habit. Flowers in verticillasters on             crowded spikes with showy terminal flower bracts.         -   Plant height.—About 50 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 50 cm.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Opposite, simple;             decurrent. Length: About 3 cm. Width: About 4 mm. Shape:             Linear. Apex: Mucronate. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire;             edges, recurved. Texture, upper surface: Fine pubescence.             Texture, lower surfaces: Smooth. Fragrance: Very aromatic,             pungent. Venation pattern: Pinnate; reticulate. Color:             Developing foliage, upper and lower surfaces: 137C. Fully             expanded foliage, upper and lower surfaces: 137A; venation,             134A. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower arrangement and shape.—Small single flowers in             compact verticillasters on crowded spikes. Freely flowering,             about five to six rows of flowers and flower buds per spike;             flowers tubular with five lobes; inflorescences with showy             terminal bracts.         -   Natural flowering season.—Continuous throughout the Spring.         -   Flower longevity on the plant.—Individual inflorescences             last about two weeks on the plant and individual flowers             last about two to four days on the plant. Flowers, not             persistent; terminal flower bracts, persistent.         -   Inflorescence size.—Height: About 3 cm. Diameter: About 1.3             cm.         -   Flowers.—Diameter: About 2 mm. Depth (height): About 4 mm.         -   Petals.—Arrangement: Five, fused into a tube. Length, lobes:             About 1 mm. Width, lobes: About 1 mm. Shape: Roughly             spatulate. Apex: Rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; velvety. Color: When             opening, upper and lower surfaces: 155C. Fully opened, upper             and lower surfaces: 155C.         -   Terminal flower bracts.—Arrangement: About four in a single             whorl at inflorescence apex. Length: About 1.4 cm. Width:             About 8 mm. Shape: Oblong. Apex: Obtuse. Base: Obtuse.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous; velvety. Color, immature, upper and lower             surfaces: 155C; venation, close to 144A. Color, immature,             upper and lower surfaces: 155C; venation, close to 144A.         -   Peduncle.—Strength: Moderately strong. Length: About 4 cm.             Diameter: About 2 mm. Aspect: Mostly upright. Color: Close             to 134A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Four.             Anther shape: Oval. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther             color: Close to 14A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color:             Close to 14A. Pistils: Quantity per flower: One. Stigma             shape: Rounded. Stigma color: Close to 157A. Style color:             Close to 157D.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Lavender have not been     noted to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Lavender. -   Weather tolerance: Plants of the new Lavender have exhibited good     tolerance to rain and wind and have been observed to tolerate     temperatures from −2° C. to 40° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Lavender plant named ‘Belwhi’, as illustrated and described. 